Carlos Sainz did not think he would “open up such a gap”

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) revenu à 15″ ce matin, Carlos Sainz (mini) had to react to maintain the lead in the 2020 Dakar this Wednesday. From the first kilometers of this first part of the marathon stage, the double world rally champion showed that he had found a buggy in full possession of its means.

Having passed with more than 2′ in advance after a little over 150 km, Sainz had clearly set the right pace before seeing fate turn in his favor. Bad choice of track for Nasser Al-Attiyah, and now the Mini buggy passes the 220 km mark with more than 17′.

“Navigation has been difficult since the start of the rally but today we didn't make a mistake, underlines the leader of the race. Our speed was good, we were on the attack.

There were a lot of broken dunes which can be tricky. On one of them we had a rough landing which damaged the car a little but it was okay, we were able to finish. »

A significant gap and confirmed by the premature end of the special due to bad weather conditions at the end of the course. Now with an 18′ margin overall, Carlos Sainz has undoubtedly taken a first advantage two days from the finish. But who better than him to know that nothing is decided before the last stop point?

“I didn't think I would open up that much of a gap, but tomorrow it could be the opposite, we have to stay focused. If I get lost… after all it happened to others today, it could also happen to me tomorrow.”